Nigerian coaches condemn attack on Ogunbote

The Nigeria Football Coaches’ Association has condemned the fans’ attack on one of their members, Gbenga Ogunbote and has charged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to properly investigate the matter and bring the culprits to book.

Ogunbote, who is the head coach of Sharks of Port Harcourt, had it rough in the hands of some fans of the club who beat him black and blue over allegations that he dropped most of the indigenes in the team for those from other parts of the country.

The former Sunshine Stars’ coach is still in the hospital recuperating from the injury sustained in last Wednesday’s attack.

The Secretary-General of the association, Solomon Ogbeide told SportingLife that the body is almost through with its strongly-worded letter to the NFF wherein its position will be to demand that the perpetrators are fished out and banned from all football activities after they might have faced the full wrath of the law.

“We the (members of the) coaches’ association are not happy about what happened to coach Gbenga Ogunbote. We reject it in all entirety and we are writing a broadside to the NFF so that they will be alive to their responsibilities and strive to get the doer of such heinous act.

“We are going to write our own letter to the NFF so that investigation of the matter will be immediate and thorough, so that the person(s) responsible for the action will not go unpunished,” Ogbeide told SportingLife.

The Bayelsa United head coach urged the NFF and states’ governments to make the security of sportsmen and women their watchword, adding that what happened to Ogunbote should be handled properly so that it doesn’t become the norm in the country.